This past week Buddy needed a bath. He’s been wearing a “Lampshade” over his head because he got his yearly dental treatment and finally had his dewclaws removed (see below).
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- Buddy on drugs…
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- and miserable. Poor baby!
Two weeks later the stitches came out and the cone came off. Buddy stank and needed a bath.
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- The rug and blankets were placed nicely on the floor, but I had to drag him into the shower!
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- Tucker, “Why do you let them do this to you, Buddy?”
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- Tucker: I’m watching you with my ears!
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- Tucker: I’m serious now, Buddy, LET ME IN! You can’t hog all the fun ya’know…
If he could only see he would have been hiding under the bed!
~*~
*Buddy’s dew claws are jet black and this makes it impossible to see the quick when trimming. As time went by they would grow into a circle and then get caught in his long fur and/or his collar. More than once we had found him with his dewclaw stuck in his collar. This was often very awkward for us to get him disentangled, and occasionally, by the time we found him, there was bleeding involved . We felt it might be dangerous for him to be stuck like that if we were not home, and therefore we made the decision to have them removed.
There are some who think this should never be done, and others who believe it should absolutely be done. It is interesting to note, that like cat declawing, some countries also outlaw the removal of dewclaws! (BTW, I would NEVER dewclaw a cat.)
Life on the Farmlet 
For some dogs it’s the only way to stop their dewclaws catching on things and doing them damage. We do approve of that.
Annie, this was exactly the case for poor Buddy.
No opinion here, since I don’t even know what a dewclaw is. (I’ll go have a look at the wiki.) But, I can say I never would declaw a kitty. Ever. The trick is to train cats not to claw everything in sight. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained!
I just saw a documentary on declawing cats. Horrific! It causes far more behavior issues than leaving them in, and it causes the cat horrible pain and suffering! And I wholeheartedly agree, Linda, cats can be trained. 😀
If he were out in the wild, the dewclaws would be rubbed off. Doing this for him was a good idea.
Margaret, I think the dog’s dewclaw is rather like our appendix us to us. It simply is no longer a useful appendage in our lives, and occasionally they go bad!
I would have my furkid’s dewclaws removed if it posed a danger of harm to him. I’m lucky that his are clear and easily trimmed.
Hi, Anita!
I guess the dark nails are to be expected when the dog is mostly black. To be honest, I can shine my egg candling light through his toenails and then mark them with a sharpie to know where to cut. However, he was W-A-Y too fussy and S-T-R-O-N-G to let me get to his dewclaws! Thankfully, most of both dogs toenails are light colored. 🙂
The worries of keeping domestic animals outweigh the befits for me and I am happy to let others take the strain and feel the pleasure.
We do love our pets, Tom, but to be honest, we will not be in a hurry to replace them when they are gone. We may keep one dog on the Mountain Farmlet, but never again two! Cats, maybe two and no more letting them come in the house! EVER. They are simply too destructive. 😛
Wise decisions. I liked our dogs when we had them but I like not having the responsibility now.
The beagle got trapped and showered exactly the same way as Tucker did. I washed the Vizsla first the beagle was BESIDE himself. As soon as I toweled off the Vizsla, I pushed the beagle into the shower and slammed the door shut. At which point, it was too late for him to get back out!
Here’s one of his many tattle tales:
http://livingtheseasons.com/2012/09/15/magic-shower-water/
Nancy
That was funny! So… I am not the only one who wears the Emperor’s new clothes when bathing the dog! LOL, you just made me feel normal, Nancy! 😀 😀 😀
Hey, you were the one brave enough to post that picture of feeding the animals in your pajamas & boots with the fashion bed hair (several years ago). How could I not feel normal???
So true! LOL! But in my defense, it was (IS) freezing in the early winter mornings here. 😉
Normally “The Boys” take care of their own ablutions, as not having a shower stall large enough means that actual soap and water dog bathing happens outside, on the lawn; usually only once a year (knock wood; ) in the only apparel “suit”able for the endeavour; ) and we all wind up in the pool afterward…
Re Dew Claws… The quick of a dog’s nail grows to within a set distance of the end of the nail – no matter HOW long it may be – so trimming means removing only a small amount every time to avoid hitting the Quick and resulting in pain and a great aversion for future clipping… Been there on both sides of the scenario and, you’re right, once a dog’s been hurt, it’s not a good time for anyone involved):
Deb, if I have to do the bathing myself, and *I have to, then I want the water to be warm. The other benefit of getting the big dog in the shower is that he can’t run away from me! 😉
*Taking Buddy to the groomer’s costs $45! Can’t afford that anymore!!!
Yup, I can definitely understand why you do what you do (I did say we only do this once a year; ) and, with two Labs, no way would I try this on my own…
😉
We have always either had our dogs’ dewclaws removed at their first vet visit, or they have come from the breeder with them removed, probably done when they docked the tail. One less thing to worry about…
We will probably not get another dog after this one. Gabi is almost a year and a half old, so we’ll be in our eighties if she lives her full life – and she’ll be a handful the whole time, being a German Shorthair. If we could just get her to sit and stay for more than 2 seconds….
You said: “If we could just get her to sit and stay for more than 2 seconds…”
Penny, we felt that way about Tucker for the first 6 years of his life! LOL! He was so energetic. He’s calmed down quite a bit, but we think if he wasn’t blind he would still be jumping and chasing and causing mayhem. 😉
I think our puppy’s had been removed before we ever got him. That would be awful to get it caught as you described.
Patti, most times Buddy fights us when it comes to his claws, but in those instances he was a statue! 🙂
My Zoe has this same problem… I haven’t done anything about it yet and probably won’t because she’s so old. I do try to trim them but they tend to grow in a circle and are difficult to get to. I think you did the right thing, Lynda. Darn… I wish I’d been there to pet and massage Buddy. I think he would like that!! Oh, and I have a poor sense of smell. The stink probably wouldn’t have phased me a bit! 🙂
Lori, this is going to sound awful, but I don’t notice it until I leave the house for several hours and come back… then, I open the door and WHAM! Dirty dog smell. Bob says I have a super sensitive nose, but I don’t think you should walk in and know we own dogs. 😉
I think we put it off a bit too long. It was very stressful for Buddy, so you are probably doing Zoe a kindness by not having it done on her. Besides, she is small enough to manage a bit of clipping. Am I right? Buddy on the other hand is impossible to manage; he’s simply too strong!
My Pilou had to wear this Lampshade and it is so unconfortable for them. For the bath we had better to have a lot of towels..
Tucker is so cute!
Have a nice week end Lynda
Yes, there are a lot of towels involved in dog washing, even when it is the little dog! Thank you, Chantal, and please have a great weekend also!